Karma
by Somerandomguy23
Summary: He was never meant to exist. The product of Artemis and Orion, left to die by his mother. The power of a firstborn is left in his hands, and the world will quiver before him
1. Forest Fire

It didn't remember the last time it had been allowed outside, nor the last time it had spoken. It didn't consider itself a human, rather much closer to a beast or a corpse. It twisted slightly, in vain effort to rest comfortably, before what little remaining skin that stretched between shoulders and waist cried out in protest.

'You are meant for so much more, son of the moon.' the voice whispered in its mind. The voice had appeared long ago, promising revenge and freedom from this hell it was stuck in. Voice blamed its mother for the hell It was stuck in, whispered madness of gods and titans and monsters, of scents and, in Voices words, the repulsive sack of flesh and alcohol that trapped It in this tiny room.

It didn't flinch at the sound of the door slamming against the wall, dully recognizing how rushed those steps were, and the slightest hint of liquid sloshing in some container. She was back sooner than usual, and the way she rushed about made it seem like she was panicking.

It felt something cool spill onto its back, before she moved past it, splashing something on every surface in the room. The task sounded rushed, and before long the room was filled with a strange acrid smell. She was muttering while working, though It couldn't understand what she was muttering. She was standing by the door, from what It could tell, when a scratching sound filled the quiet.

"3...2...1!" At the last number, she dropped the match before she slammed the door behind her.

The fire took mere seconds to begin rapidly spreading, and It knew the end was nigh. The flame was rapidly growing beyond control, and so was the hatred and rage that began to fill its body. That rage brought adrenaline and, for the first time in a long time, defiance. It would not give anyone the satisfaction of its quiet death, it would make them pay.

It, He, scrambled to his feet, ignoring the protest of limbs and the pain of flame licking his skin. He threw himself through the window, from the second story apartment and into the alley beside it. Something, he wasn't entirely sure what, brought his landing to a smooth roll onto one knee.  
His body was practically a blur as his instincts brought him somewhere, he wasn't quite sure where until he reached his destination.

'Congratulations, son of the moon, you have begun your journey.' Voice was clearer now, louder. 'But every legend has a name, so choose yours, a title so fierce gods will tremble. Now is your time to leave your mark on the world…' Voice cut off there, allowing his statement to soak in, and causing names to rush through his mind.

When the boy spoke, it was raspy, barely audible and undeniably weak.  
"Perseus." he rasped, though he didn't need to speak.

'Welcome to the real world, Perseus. You will bring Olympus to its knees, and lead the world to a greater age!'

~a few minutes later~

Perseus clawed at the ground before him, moving dirt and stones into an ever growing pile, enjoying the growing hum of power permeating the air. The constant buzz soaked into his system, creating a feeling of giddy anticipation that made him dig faster.

'You must hurry, Perseus, a deadly foe has caught wind of us.' Voice was completely clear now, carrying an odd sense of urgency for a disembodied entity. That in itself was worrying, so he continued at a faster pace, occasionally warily glancing behind him. He paused when his fingers brushed against something smooth, and hard. He quickly looked down, to be met with a small box with a golden scythe engraved into the surface.

Perseus heaved the small crate from the dirt, examining the strange box from every angle. The box was perfectly smooth, dark material with no obvious creases or locks. At Voice's request, he placed his open palm against the scythe. He flinched when the box began glowing and hissing, before it began to fold in on itself, leaving two strange round things and a hissing tube?

Voice began funneling information into his head. The snake began to calm, crawling up Perseus' arm as he grabbed the pocket watch and amulet. Both were primarily black with gold accents throughout. The watch had an hourglass on the front, while the back had depictions of grain and snakes entwined on its surface. The inside was almost all black, with silver hands and numerals, and a gold scythe glowing eerily in the background.

The amulet was, upon closer inspection, a snake swallowing its own tail.. Each scale was lined with gold, and the eyes were rubies. It seemed painstakingly made, with no detail or expense spared.

'I must leave, my boy. Hide amongst mortals, blend in and trust no one. With the last of my power, I, Kronos, the Titan of time and harvest, claim you as my champion. May your harvests be plentiful, and your skills sure.' the voice, Kronos, tapered off at the end as power erupted outward from Perseus violently.

The burned portions of his face and arms cooled and itched slightly. He slowly brought his hand up to his jaw, feeling the rough and scarred skin left from his burns. He did not feel the contact on his jaw, nor on the burned portions of his arm he brushed with his fingertips.

The snake's hissing brought his thoughts to the present. He shoved the watch in his pocket and slipped the amulet around his neck, while the snake settled across his shoulders. He absently rubbed its head with his finger, walking out towards the buildings.  
_

~Back in Time approximately five minutes~

Artemis stared at the spike of power over the New York skyline. Deep gold in color, the waves billowed upward to the sky. The color scared her, few immortals had a golden aura, and that certainly was not her brother. It was too, as hard as it is to believe, flashy for any stunt Apollo would pull. It was eerily close to the claiming of a demigod, yet it seemed older. The smell of old books filled her senses, and she saw Zoe staring at the aura with a look similar to how Artemis felt.

"What is going on, Milady?" Thalia called from somewhere behind, wiping the golden dust off her spear onto the grass. She was ignored, so she walked forward to lightly tap Artemis' shoulder. That drew Artemis from her thoughts.

"Thalia, Zoe, come with me." she murmured, then pivoted to face the others, "Phoebe, you are in charge, set up camp and keep alert until we return."

Artemis then spun around and began to run into the woods, with Zoe shortly behind and Thalia struggling to keep up.

The moment of reprieve wandering through the streets brought Perseus questions. Who was Kronos? Why was he called 'son of the moon'? Where was Olympus, and why would he bring it to its knees? Who was hunting him? How was he supposed to 'blend in'?

He was brought from his thoughts by a harsh collision that sent him to the ground. The man he bumped into sent a sharp glare.

"Shouldn't you be in school, kid?" The man only gave a quick once over before he turned and hurried away, oblivious to the boon he just gave the boy.

School? Wherever that was, Percy was sure he could make it. He spun to look for another stranger, when his gaze landed on someone sitting in, something. He rushed over as the man opened the door and stood.

He nearly reached the metal box when the world spun around him. The world began to darken and the last thing he saw was the ground rushing to meet him. 


	2. Realization

**Yo peeps, been a minute, been busy with stuff. hope you enjoy, constructive criticism please!**

Artemis was barely aware of the arguments surrounding her, lost in thought.

The hunt was unsuccessful, though the ominous clues that caused the shouting around her. The air was heavy with ancient power. Power she had not felt in millenia, that made her skin crawl. The power centered around a small, empty, hole in the ground.

Any other searching proved fruitless, but as they were leaving, a new scent brushed her senses. A scent that made her stomach turn in dread. A power so eerily familiar, it occupied her thoughts since.

The scent of moonlight and cinnamon.

Magical Timeskip

* * *

Perseus stood out in the snow, lost in thought. This stupid school thing sucked, plain and simple. Trapped with brainwashed peers and filthy women, in some creepy castle-like building, for hours.

The forest around him quieted, and the winds slowed, leaving the night in eerie silence. His skin glowed in the moonlight, sharply contrasting with the auburn hair on his head. Pink scars lined the visible portions of his arms, ugly burns and lines leading under his pajamas, and peeking out on his neckline and barely marking his jawline.

He huffed, and released the wilderness around him, turning his attention to Muirdris perched around his neck. Slowly, she lightly tightened around his neck for warmth, which spurred him into action.

He took a final deep breath of the frigid air, and he headed to his bed.

Another Skip

* * *

It was a dread inducing moment for Artemis, watching as a flare of power erupted from their destination. She could only hope, whatever awaited them, her girls would be safe.

As they drew closer to the school holding the demigods, they could feel the power in the air, stifling the wind and drawing them in. Artemis idly noticed the lack of animals around them, and the layered scent she found in that clearing a year before. Her skin crawled at the thought.

The closer they drew to the power, the deeper dread seeped into her system.

The clearing they arrived at was silent. Artemis almost missed the source of the power, instead glancing at the campers they had been sent to support, and the Manticore, who seemed to be… shielding the children? A series of gasps came from her younger hunters, and she followed their stare to a sight that made her ichor freeze.

The scythe in his hand dripped with blood, mortal blood. Scars lined his arms and neck, standing out against pale skin. Identical silvery yellow eyes met, and the world shuddered.  
The snake she hadn't noticed hissed as the boy's eyes narrowed.

In a blur of motion, he was upon her, his scythe arcing downward to her head. She threw herself to the side, rolling back to a stand with hunting knives in hand. The boy, her son, seemed momentarily shocked before he lunged at her once more. She dodged his overhead swing, but stumbled back when the butt of the scythe met her cheek.

"Please, stop this!" Artemis called to the boy, but he merely let out a ferocious growl and charged again. His swings were wild and untrained, but fast. If it weren't for Artemis' silver outfit, she would be struggling to tell them apart.

Artemis seemed to be leading the boy around the clearing, until a missed strike cut cleanly through a tree. Zoe watched as the demigods fell sideways, she noted the daughter of Athena appeared over the children. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the large pine tree smash into the Manticore, and the puff of golden dust that followed.

The battle was fairly one-sided, with Artemis gracefully dodging the boy's assault. Though Artemis had the advantage, she seemed to be trying to… pacify him? Zoe only watched as she continued occasionally pleading with the boy, to no effect. A loud pop sounded sharply to her right, and she watched Apollo enter the clearing.

The sight of her brother made Artemis panic, and that panic made an opening. A wide slash caught her stomach, leaving a thin cut across her torso. She screamed in pain, forced to a knee with both arms wrapped around the wound. She watched, through blurred vision, as Apollo intercepted another strike, sword at the ready. It only took a single attack for Apollo to disarm the boy, her boy, and knock him out with a quick pommel strike.

In a blur, Apollo was by her side and carefully rolling her onto her back, ignoring her protest and exposing her stomach to the freezing winter air. Golden Ichor trailed from the cut, hissing when it touched the snow. Apollo carefully brought a glowing palm to the cut, only to recoil when she screamed in pain.

"Get that scythe!" Apollo commanded, with the beginnings of panic on his face. His call spurned the Hunters into action, as Zoe approached the rest spread across the clearing.

The wound wouldn't clot, or stop bleeding, despite her godly healing and Apollo's attempts. Her face was pale and scrunched in pain, while the steady stream of ichor now puddled on uncovered grass. She watched Apollo carefully gather Artemis in his arms, working slowly and whispering assurances in response to quiet her pained whimpering, he gave her a quick nod before flashing to Olympus.

* * *

**Slight headcanon younger Olympians are worse with pain, cause they dont get hit much if at all.**

**Ill try to be a bit quicker on updates. bye**


	3. Chains

**Hello Children, it is I, inconsistent uploading dweeb. **

**I thank you all for viewing my story, and the reviews. If you would be so kind, I have a few other stories Im working on at the same time.**

**I welcome any criticisms, though constructive is more appreciated.**

**Enjoy! -Somerandomguy**

Perseus only lay there, as awareness returned. The cold floor almost stung his skin, and his neck hurt from the awkward angle he slept in. Where was he? Last thing he remembered was… Artemis. He almost growled. He'd hit her, then someone came rushing in. He hadn't even stood a chance.

He slowly reached upwards, body aching and weak, only for his arms to stop. Chains rattled in his ears, sending dread through his form. His eyes burst open, and he looked down. Bronze manacles clamped on his wrist, with barely enough slack to rest his hands in his lap.

His stomach curled. This stupid room, he wanted out. He yanked on his wrists, only succeeding in rattling the chains. His heart pounded louder in his ears. No, nonononononono. Desperately wrenching at his binds. He was back in that room, before he was freed, permanently exposed to the witch's torment. He, it, only pulled harder, as the world blurred and twisted between that old room, and this cell. The feral scream it let out made skin crawl, as Olympus itself chilled.

Artemis noted three things, upon waking in Apollo's palace: One, her brother was nowhere to be seen. Two, Zoe sat fast asleep in a chair beside her, head lolled uncomfortably to the side. Three, an unnatural chill permeated her brother's normally hot temple. As the sleep cleared from her mind, memories from the day before came into stunning clarity. Why she was in Apollo's temple, on Olympus.

With a start, she rolled from the bed, and stumbled slightly as she wrapped her arms 'round her healing cut with a wordless muffled whine. With careful steps, she crept out of the building, breaking into a run when she reached the temple's threshold.

She must have been a sight, a disheveled Olympian goddess gauchely scrambling down the streets so unlike her usual grace. As she drew closer to her destination, the air kept growing colder, and the minor gods and nature spirits vanished. She pushed harder, the entrance to the prisons in sight. She didn't see Apollo until he was upon her.

In an instant, her feet left the ground as he, mindful of her wound, picked her off the ground.

"LET GO OF ME APOLLO!" she screeched, fruitlessly punching every part of him she could reach. He didn't even bother reacting

"Please, Artemis, listen to reason. Father wants an explanation for quite a few things, you might be allowed to see him later." he tightened his grip when she gave up hitting him in favor of squirming to escape. She ignored him, and grit her teeth when the cut began burning. She needed to see her boy, her son. All she could do was let out a frantic cry as the dungeon disappeared from sight.  
Skip

The chain around her ankle made Artemis shift uncomfortably in her throne as Zeus questioned the Son of Poseidon about the events in the clearing. Anxiety welled up in her for the cold metal trapping her in the throne, and her child trapped in a cell. Her Father was obstinate in the sequence they discussed issues, and his ire was apparently upon her since he saw her son.

She could only hope this would be over soon.

Back a couple minutes

* * *

Corentine, or 'Ren', as her friends called her, met a lot of interesting people working in Olympus' prisons. In her opinion at least. She met Apollo a couple times, Dionysus before his punishment, and Ares and Eris, to name a few. Most were rather nice, though some would be crude and vulgar. The sky nymph avoided them for the most part, though some interaction was unavoidable.

This one, though, definitely made her raise an eyebrow. The boy looked almost exactly like Artemis, if the horrendous burn scars weren't there. Well, the scars, and the panicked wild look in his eyes that she had never seen before, much less on Artemis. The chains on his wrists rattled loudly as he frantically pulled against his binds.

The more she stared at the kid, the worse she felt. Quickly, she looked down the hallway both ways, before she floated through the bars with food in hand. For a moment, he stilled, before he began to thrash harder than before. She froze in shock, as the chain binding his right wrist glowed gold and crumbled before her eyes.

With a hand free, he alternated between yanking on the collar and his left hand. She slowly placed the food on the cell floor, and approached the heaving child.

When she got within five feet, he froze, only barely trembling. Carefully, and slowly, she scooped the boy into her arms, where his head rested on her collarbone and tucked neatly under her chin. When he did nothing in protest, she slowly started humming, slowly rocking the exhausted child in her grasp.

Halfway through her fourth song, he stopped trembling and went slack in her grasp. She kept humming, combing her fingers through his auburn locks.

Back to beeswax

* * *

Artemis alternated between glaring at Zeus, who kept ranting about something or other, and the horrendous chain attached to her ankle. He seemed to be punishing her already, keeping her stuck in her throne in the meeting. When her boy was right there, on Olympus with her. She focused on the cuff, lost in thought, pondering if she could break it and sneak away.

A pointed cough had her glance upwards, to watch Apollo gesture to Zeus.

"Father, what of the boy?" Athena asked, as she gave Artemis a slightly concerned glance.

"What of him? He will sit in that cell until I decide otherwise." he snorted, and leaned back in his seat. Artemis could have started crying, and she only hoped he hadn't inherited her 'issue'. Even now she was lucky she hadn't started panicking. She prayed to whatever higher power, that she could see her son soon.

**Koolio. Artemis, according to the wiki, doesn't hate men (just general dislike), and has a soft spot for children btw. so im gonna try a different approach for the relationship.**

**however, I may make a separate fic with 'man hater' Arty ;). Prepare for inconsistent updates, my creative juices only work at 2am.**

**See Ya!**


	4. Jail Break

Actaeon frowned at the small Aurae before him, with folded arms against his chest.

"Defying Olympians is something I would rather avoid. What would I have to gain releasing an Olympian prisoner, much less into a pure domain? Do you know just what you ask of me?" she only shrunk further into herself, avoiding eye-contact.

"You may earn favor with Artemis, and with her Apollo. I would also offer this," she meekly shoved her hands towards him, and revealed a small coin purse, "It's not much, but you should be able to afford a drink or two. Please, just see him before you say no."

He looked her over again, quietly nodded, and followed the hopeful nature spirit to Olympus' dungeons.

The boy was awake, if you could call it that. Coated in sweat and trembling on the stone floor, he made a pitiful sight for Actaeon. He understood the girls comment when he noticed the auburn hair and the silver thousand-yard stare. He slowly frowned while the boy trembled.

She drifted through the cell bars and kneeled beside the boy, gathered him up in her arms, and started humming.

He only sat and watched, for far longer than he planned, watched as she soothed the child until he relaxed and his breathing evened. By the time she drifted out of the cell, he had made his decision.

"Get him in the garden, tonight. We will need to be careful." He ignored her beaming smile and left the dungeon. He had to prepare.

The life in Olympus' gardens overflowed, both old and new. Elk and wolves more than twice her height, with branching antlers and razor-sharp fangs to match. A chorus of bird calls buzzed in her ears, owls mixing with falcons mixing with parrots.

She tightened her arms around the boy when he stirred, taking longer and faster strides.

The deeper she got, the… older the inhabitants grew. Iguanodon weaved through the trees, while archeopteryx bounced along the tree tops. Ren froze to watch as a baryonyx stomped through the trees past her, ignoring the aurae and the squirming boy in her arms.

At last, she had reached her destination.  
The clearing carried a soft emerald glow, a small pond settled in the center. Actaeon squatted by the water, eyes closed and hands pointed palm out to the water. He quietly beckoned her closer, and cautiously lifted the boy from her arms when she drew near.

When he lowered the boy to the water, he jolted awake, silver and forest green eyes meeting. In a flurry of movement, he forced the struggling child under the glowing water by his shoulders. The power in the air thickened, loose materials swirling to the pond and vanishing within.

Ren could only watch in frozen horror as they struggled in the whirling energy, winds tearing at the loose fabrics of her chiton. When she took a shaky step to interrupt the combat, a blazing light forced her to shield her eyes with her forearm.

By the time the light died down, Actaeon stood beside the pond, heaving for air. The clearing dimmed slowly, and the garden of Olympus returned to its original state.

"We were never here," he finally said, "You were in bed and I was in Dionysus' bar."

"What of the boy?"

Actaeon sighed, "If his origins are as we believe, let us hope we never need to find him again."

Perseus was a blur of brown and red, darting through the trees. Every step matched the pounding pulse thumping against his ribs. He leapt between the forest floor and the treetops smoothly, each stride as quiet as a raindrop.

Wherever he was, he didn't care to find out. He never felt more alive, more powerful, than he did now. These seemingly endless expanses of wilderness around him showed no signs of human inhabitation, much to his glee, and the fauna reflected that.

Towering deer and timber wolves only stared when he dashed by. Alongside them where inhabitants far… stranger. In place of fur were scales. Towering lizards that seemed just as indifferent to his presence as the towering city he left.

With an exhilarated whoop, he threw himself down a steep hill that led to an unending prairie of grain stretching for the beaming sun. When he stilled at the base of the hill, his bellows of laughter made the surrounding wilderness flourish.

Finally, he lay still, chest heaving as he caught his breath. Even when he recovered, he just lounged on the ground and relished the feeling of the sunshine above and dirt below. The smell of soil filled his nose, as he drifted to a peaceful sleep.

Apollo glared at the cushioned seat across from him, lost in deep thought. Prophetic visions were a common thing for him, and his oracles, and demigods as a whole. It was cruel irony, that as soon as his sister left for a solo hunt that she refused to explain he would get one. He wordlessly flagged a waitress to refill his drink.

Of course, he probably couldn't change the future, not that he had tried before with the Fates so close to breathing down his neck. And that idea only faltered further when it came to convincing his sister, of whom he had an unfortunately distant relationship, to abstain from this hunt.

He forced those thoughts away when the waitress arrived again, and gave her an appraising look. She was pretty, though not far above average, very mortal in his eyes. Well, he could drown his regrets in more than mortal alcohol, hopefully.

He grabbed the bottle and downed its contents quickly. With a flirtatious wink, that caused a blush to cover her face. Maybe, just maybe, this could turn out fine 


End file.
